[BCMA] Family diversity, membership and beyond

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Our family memberships include up to two adults + children in one household. 
Seems to me that a simple change from "Mom and Dad" to "adults", "parents" 
or "caregivers"  is the easy and smart thing to do and would include 
families of all types.


E Wright
Quatse Salmon Stewardship Centre
Port Hardy, BC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv." <bcma at lists.vvv.com>
To: <bcma at lists.vvv.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2013 3:17 PM
Subject: [BCMA] Family diversity, membership and beyond


> This posting from a Childrens Museum list-serve should prove interesting 
> to
> many other museums.
>
> Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2013 4:58 PM
> Subject: Re: [CHILDMUS] Family diversity, membership and beyond
>
>>> Hi colleagues,
>>> I'm sure you're all following the story out of Jacksonville this week in
>>> which a lesbian family was denied a family museum membership:
>>>
>>> http://www.inquisitr.com/696424/same-sex-museum-membership-denied/
>>>
>>> and the sketchy way the museum handled the situation:
>>>
>>> http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/22457-museum-with
>>> -anti-gay-family-policy-responds-to-protest-by-raising-all-membership-fe
>>> es.html
>>>
>>> I'd like to think this is an isolated incident in our field, so I'm
>>> seeking inspiration. Please share what your membership departments are
>>> doing to make sure something like this never happens at your museums.
>>> Beyond membership policies, what steps have you taken to make your
>>> museum a welcoming place for all kinds of families?
> ------------------------------
>
>
>> Colleagues,
>> We, too, were shocked to read this story, and hopeful that it does not
>> reflect badly on children's museums in general, most of which I think
>> have very welcoming policies for all kinds of families.
>>
>> In this case, it sounded like a front desk person was enforcing a
>> reasonable rule to prevent multiple families from 'sharing' a
>> membership. We all know that there are some families that take advantage
>> in this way.
>>
>> What I was surprised about was that the ED did not override the front
>> desk person when it was made clear that the women in question were *in
>> the same household *(which is the criteria we use for memberships)*.*
>> The museum's solution to raise the price of membership for everyone was
>> a very clumsy one.
>>
>> At Habitot, we try to meet the needs of all of our potential audience
>> including LGBTQ parents. We have a "Best of the Gay Bay" designation
>> from the Our Family organization. We have gay staff members and board
>> members. We have a free, monthly "Mamas and Papas" program for LGBTQ
>> parents. They meet for facilitated parent support while their
>> (supervised) children have the run of the museum.  A couple of times a
>> year, we have a free Open House for the LGBTQ community. We just had our
>> Family Pride Day event fro 91 families this month. These efforts have
>> repaid themselves many times over in community connection and support.
>>
>
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